GRE 4220 BEGINNING GREEK I Prof Esa Autero

GRE 4220 BEGINNING GREEK I Prof. Esa Autero Th. D

Why Study Greek? “The languages are the sheath in which the sword of the Spirit is contained. " Martin Luther

Why Study Greek? “What was originally expressed in Hebrew does not have exactly the same sense when translated into another language. ” “…even the Law…differ not a little when read in the original. ” Prologue to the Book of Sirach c. 180 BC

Why Study NT Greek? q More accurate understanding of God’s word Ø Ø You (sg. ) – you (pl. ) Word studies q Nuances and colors q Misuse of Greek q Historical distance q Cross-Cultural experience

Why Study Greek? q Greek does not solve all the problems in interpretation Limits the amount of interpretative possibilities “A bucket of iron” Genitive of material OR genitive of content

Why Study Greek? q Example from the New Testament Ø ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνεχέι ἡμᾶς (2 Cor 5: 14) NKJV “For the love of Christ compels us” (2 Cor 5: 14) Ø NIV “For Christ’s love compels us” (2 Cor 5: 14) Ø CEV “We are ruled by Christ’s love for us” Ø Options in Greek: Ø Christ’s love for us? (subjective genitive) o Our love for Christ? (objective genitive) o Both? (plenary) Greek does not give an obvious answer but helps understand interpretative options o

Brief History of Greek Language q Pre-Homeric (-1000 BC) Ø q Classical Era (1000 BC-330 BC) Ø Ø q Alexander the Great; lingua franca Byzantine (330 BC- 1454 AD) Ø q 4 predom. dialects (Aeolic, Doric, Ionic, Attic) Attic = Plato, Thucydides, Xenophon Koine (330 BC- 330 AD) Ø q Indo-Europeans to Greece Constantine’s conversion Modern Greek (1453 AD to present) – literary & demotic

Koine and NT Greek q Ø Types of Koine Greek: Vernacular/vulgar o E. g. papyri Literary Ø o E. g. Plutarch, Polybius, Josephus, Philo Conversational Ø o E. g. New Testament, some papyri Atticistic (cf. KJV English) Ø o E. g. Dio Crysostom, Aristides

Aspects of NT Greek q Language milieu of the NT: Ø q Conversational Greek (not literary or vulgar) Ø q Spectrum: Hebrews to Revelation Hebraisms: Ø q Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin? [lit. “I do not know a man” – ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω]? ” (Luke 1: 34). Latinisms: Ø Ø Lat. centurio – Gk. κεντυρίων (Mark 15: 39) Lat. legio – Gk. λεγιών (Mark 5: 9)

Literary Levels of NT Authors Semitic/Vulgar Revelation Mark John, 1 -3 John 2 Peter Conversational Most of Paul Matthew Literary Koine Hebrews Luke-Acts James Pastorals 1 Peter Jude Tendencies in NT books/authors

Greek alphabets Capital Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Small Letters α β γ δ ε ζ η θ Name Pronunciation Alpha Father (a) Beta Ball (b) Gamma Gift (g) Delta Debt (d) Epsilon Met (e) Zeta Zion (z, dz) Eta Obey (eh) Theta Theme (th)

Greek Alphabets Capital Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Small Letters ι κ λ μ ν ξ ο π Name Pronunciation Iota Pit (i) Kappa Kit (k) Lambda Long (l) Mu Man (m) Nu No (n) Xi Relax (x) Omicron Omelet (o) Pi Pay (p)

Greek Alphabets Capital Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω Small Letters ρ σ, ς τ υ φ χ ψ ω Name Pronunciation Rho Ring (r) Sigma Sing (s) Tau Tale (t) Upsilon Tube (u) Phi Phone (ph) Chi Chemical (ch) Psi Taps (ps) Omega Tone (o)

Vowels q Vowels = (7): Øαεηιουω Ø ε ο (short); η ω (long) Ø α ι υ (short or long)

Pronunciation & Accents q How was Greek pronounced in the NT era? Ø Erasmian vs. hypothetical vs. modern Ø Erasmian: widely used distinguishes different sounds

Diphthongs Diphthong αι αυ ει ευ οι ου υι Pronunciation transliteration Ai (aisle) Ai Au (kraut) Au Ey (hey) Ei Eu (feud) Eu Oi (oil) Oi ou (group) Ou Ui (suite) ui

Symbol Type Example , Smooth (not pronounced) ἀμήν ‘ Rough; smooth “h” sound ὥρα ------Accents: --------------- Acute; On any of the last 3 syllables ἀμήν ά ὰ ᾶ Grave; ultimate only Circumflex; Long syllables only καὶ πνεῦμα

The Consonant Classes 17 consonants in 3 classes: q Liquids: smooth & easy flow Ø q Mutes: close & release Ø q λ μ ν ρ β γ δθ κ τ φ χ Sibilants: “s” sounds Ø σ ζ ξ ψ

PUNCTUATION q Punctuation in Greek is different from English Character Looks like Greek Meaning q θεός, comma q θεός. period q θεός; semicolon question mark q θεός period above line semicolon

Textbook and Websites q Visit the website for additional helps Ø Ø q http: //www. teknia. com/greek Supplementary info Videos Flash cards etc. ($$) Other useful websites: Ø Ø http: //www. ntgateway. com/greek-ntgateway/greek-newtestament-texts/ http: //unbound. biola. edu/ (Multilinear) http: //www. nestle-aland. com/en/read-na 28 -online/ (NA 28) http: //sblgnt. com/ (GNT SBL Edition)